1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to a functional food composition for relieving alcohol-induced hangover symptoms and improving liver function. More particularly, the present invention relates to a functional food composition, which is capable of relieving alcohol-induced hangover symptoms by removing or neutralizing a factor responsible for hangover symptoms, such as alcohol (ethanol) absorbed in the body or acetaldehyde, the oxidation product of alcohol, which is a harmful toxin affecting the liver and other organs, as well as basically improving liver function.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The liver is the body's largest organ that performs a variety of functions including metabolizing various nutrients required in the body, producing energy needed in the brain, and binding to toxic substances and detoxifing them. The functions of liver further include secreting bile salt to help degrade and absorb fatty acids, storing the remaining carbohydrates and vitamins, synthesizing blood proteins, and synthesizing cholesterol as a component of the plasma membrane. When the liver, having such various functions, is damaged, several symptoms such as jaundice and anemia occur.
Frequent or excessive alcohol drinking causes alcoholic fatty liver, or more seriously alcoholic hepatitis or most seriously alcoholic cirrhosis, which occurs in about 10–35% of drinkers. In some cases, without the early-stage alcoholic fatty liver or middle-stage hepatitis, the end-stage cirrhosis may occur initially and lead to death.
Alcohol is typically oxidized to carbon dioxide and water by about three pathways: the first pathway involving alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), present in the gastrointestinal tract or liver; the second pathway involving the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system located in the endoplasmic reticulum; and the third pathway involving catalase located in the peroxysomes.
Typically, when a suitable amount of alcohol is consumed, the aforementioned oxidation systems perform their functions fully, thereby not showing undesired symptoms due to alcohol. However, too much alcohol destroys the balance of the metabolic system and thus disrupts internal homeostasis. In this situation, the liver is most greatly damaged, thereby causing several long-term liver dysfunctions, such as fatty liver and cirrhosis, and short-term symptoms including headache, reduced concentration, stomach pain and defective digestion. Typically, “hangover” indicates the short-term symptoms, but in a broad sense, includes such short-term symptoms occurring the day following excessive drinking and long-term symptoms such as liver dysfunctions.
In Korea, various foods, for example, bean sprouts, dried pollacks and mung beans, have been used to relieve hangover symptoms for a long time. In particular, bean sprouts have high-content asparaginic acid that protects the liver by stimulating ADH to oxidize alcohol. Asparaginic acid-containing beverages for relieving hangover symptoms are also commercially available.
Foods for protecting liver function comprising mung beans are disclosed in Korean Pat. Laid-open Publication Nos. 1998-076168 and 1997-000075. Also, a beverage for relieving hangover symptoms comprising pears and raisin tree is disclosed in Korean Pat. Application No. 1999-56964. A natural tea for relieving hangover symptoms comprising extracts of red alder and Sorbus commixta is disclosed in Korean Pat. Registration No. 181168.
Despite many efforts for relieving alcohol-induced hangover symptoms, satisfactory results have not been achieved with respect to the development of therapeutic agents or beverages capable of effectively relieving or reducing hangover symptoms. In particular, since conventional beverages for relieving hangovers only revive the central nervous system depressed by alcohol intake, they have a problem of not neutralizing toxins or not improving or protecting liver function.